kruginmi

I have spent most of my time studying rigging, but decided to produce some results.  Next up was the top mast:
 

 
With the jigs and the process talked about in TFFM this wasn't too bad, and done in an evening.  Truth be told it did take two tries.  It is hard to see the octagonal section above the bottom square section but it is there.  It should pop with some paint.  It fits just snug into the main top trestle trees.  The top rope sheaves or fid hole have not been cut yet.
 

 
The same process will be used for the top gallant mast, but with thinner stock.  I cut the rough square stock out of basswood but think it is just a little too thin.  I will use boxwood for this - as well as the topmast trestle trees.  I couldn't help putting the top gallant plug in place:
 

 
The topgallant mast and associated trestle trees is the goal for this week.
 
Mark

I have spent most of my time studying rigging, but decided to produce some results.  Next up was the top mast:
 

 
With the jigs and the process talked about in TFFM this wasn't too bad, and done in an evening.  Truth be told it did take two tries.  It is hard to see the octagonal section above the bottom square section but it is there.  It should pop with some paint.  It fits just snug into the main top trestle trees.  The top rope sheaves or fid hole have not been cut yet.
 

 
The same process will be used for the top gallant mast, but with thinner stock.  I cut the rough square stock out of basswood but think it is just a little too thin.  I will use boxwood for this - as well as the topmast trestle trees.  I couldn't help putting the top gallant plug in place:
 

 
The topgallant mast and associated trestle trees is the goal for this week.
 
Mark

Thank you for your nice comment David,
 
and yes of course the rivets are a bit oversized at scale 1:144, but as I wanted them to be this way, I`m not worried at all. The Skin appeal will be same as my other plated "riveted"  models. With the KWdG I`m quite pleased with the look. The riveting is well visible, even after the paint is on and in appr. 1 m distance. The port side is now plated down to the waterline.
 
Nils

The berth deck height is correct, Mark.  My issue now is to decide whether to shorten the figures I have to bring them more into a 5' 6"  or less arena.  I can't just take a little from the torso, since their knuckles will drag on the floor - need to shorten the arms also.  This 'short cut' of getting base figures isn't getting so short anymore!
 
Maybe I will just put bandages around their heads to show where they keep bashing them against the beams!  Or to be safe, add scale yellow tape warning of the low overhead.....
 
Mark

With the hull structure totally accessible adding the berth and gun deck beams was straight forward:
 

 
This caused one of those, ummmm moments.  You can see my 1/48 scale figure posed on the orlop deck - all 6 ft of him.  Looking at it from a different angle:
 

 
You can see the guy would have to almost crawl to get around down there.  My guess is 6 ft wasn't the optimum height for sailors.  Do I need to modify the figures for height??  Luckily the only thing that will be going on in the orlop will be 2 people in their hammocks grabbing some shut eye so I can skirt the issue.  But I need to think about even those on the main deck (and above).  Would 6 foot tall crewman appear correct with the rest of the scene?  On a side note I am working on having the beams/decks as assembled being removable as a unit until I choose to affix them permanently.  Much easier to work the details and paint this way.
 
For painting I visited a local wood specialty shop and was steered towards General Finishes water based sanding sealer for my first coat (usable over even wood that won't be painted).  Then I had been thinking about using Model Color acrylics for the actual paint.  I created a test paint area and laid down the sealer and paints.  Where their was no sealer the paint was absorbed very quickly and faded out as expected.  The sealed areas still seemed moist 5 minutes later, but much more vibrant color.  I still will need a couple of coats (more if white / lighter colors) but that is to be expected with acrylics.
 

 
Finally I turned my eyes (and brain) skyward and have started the compressed instruction set of understanding all rigging.  With a subset of rigging (one mast) I need to start to understand what is and what is not present.  Secondly, what blocks are required and why.  Not an easy task.  The only thing to state is to keep at it and keep reviewing and things will start to fill in and make sense.
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

With the hull structure totally accessible adding the berth and gun deck beams was straight forward:
 

 
This caused one of those, ummmm moments.  You can see my 1/48 scale figure posed on the orlop deck - all 6 ft of him.  Looking at it from a different angle:
 

 
You can see the guy would have to almost crawl to get around down there.  My guess is 6 ft wasn't the optimum height for sailors.  Do I need to modify the figures for height??  Luckily the only thing that will be going on in the orlop will be 2 people in their hammocks grabbing some shut eye so I can skirt the issue.  But I need to think about even those on the main deck (and above).  Would 6 foot tall crewman appear correct with the rest of the scene?  On a side note I am working on having the beams/decks as assembled being removable as a unit until I choose to affix them permanently.  Much easier to work the details and paint this way.
 
For painting I visited a local wood specialty shop and was steered towards General Finishes water based sanding sealer for my first coat (usable over even wood that won't be painted).  Then I had been thinking about using Model Color acrylics for the actual paint.  I created a test paint area and laid down the sealer and paints.  Where their was no sealer the paint was absorbed very quickly and faded out as expected.  The sealed areas still seemed moist 5 minutes later, but much more vibrant color.  I still will need a couple of coats (more if white / lighter colors) but that is to be expected with acrylics.
 

 
Finally I turned my eyes (and brain) skyward and have started the compressed instruction set of understanding all rigging.  With a subset of rigging (one mast) I need to start to understand what is and what is not present.  Secondly, what blocks are required and why.  Not an easy task.  The only thing to state is to keep at it and keep reviewing and things will start to fill in and make sense.
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

The berth deck height is correct, Mark.  My issue now is to decide whether to shorten the figures I have to bring them more into a 5' 6"  or less arena.  I can't just take a little from the torso, since their knuckles will drag on the floor - need to shorten the arms also.  This 'short cut' of getting base figures isn't getting so short anymore!
 
Maybe I will just put bandages around their heads to show where they keep bashing them against the beams!  Or to be safe, add scale yellow tape warning of the low overhead.....
 
Mark

With the hull structure totally accessible adding the berth and gun deck beams was straight forward:
 

 
This caused one of those, ummmm moments.  You can see my 1/48 scale figure posed on the orlop deck - all 6 ft of him.  Looking at it from a different angle:
 

 
You can see the guy would have to almost crawl to get around down there.  My guess is 6 ft wasn't the optimum height for sailors.  Do I need to modify the figures for height??  Luckily the only thing that will be going on in the orlop will be 2 people in their hammocks grabbing some shut eye so I can skirt the issue.  But I need to think about even those on the main deck (and above).  Would 6 foot tall crewman appear correct with the rest of the scene?  On a side note I am working on having the beams/decks as assembled being removable as a unit until I choose to affix them permanently.  Much easier to work the details and paint this way.
 
For painting I visited a local wood specialty shop and was steered towards General Finishes water based sanding sealer for my first coat (usable over even wood that won't be painted).  Then I had been thinking about using Model Color acrylics for the actual paint.  I created a test paint area and laid down the sealer and paints.  Where their was no sealer the paint was absorbed very quickly and faded out as expected.  The sealed areas still seemed moist 5 minutes later, but much more vibrant color.  I still will need a couple of coats (more if white / lighter colors) but that is to be expected with acrylics.
 

 
Finally I turned my eyes (and brain) skyward and have started the compressed instruction set of understanding all rigging.  With a subset of rigging (one mast) I need to start to understand what is and what is not present.  Secondly, what blocks are required and why.  Not an easy task.  The only thing to state is to keep at it and keep reviewing and things will start to fill in and make sense.
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

With the hull structure totally accessible adding the berth and gun deck beams was straight forward:
 

 
This caused one of those, ummmm moments.  You can see my 1/48 scale figure posed on the orlop deck - all 6 ft of him.  Looking at it from a different angle:
 

 
You can see the guy would have to almost crawl to get around down there.  My guess is 6 ft wasn't the optimum height for sailors.  Do I need to modify the figures for height??  Luckily the only thing that will be going on in the orlop will be 2 people in their hammocks grabbing some shut eye so I can skirt the issue.  But I need to think about even those on the main deck (and above).  Would 6 foot tall crewman appear correct with the rest of the scene?  On a side note I am working on having the beams/decks as assembled being removable as a unit until I choose to affix them permanently.  Much easier to work the details and paint this way.
 
For painting I visited a local wood specialty shop and was steered towards General Finishes water based sanding sealer for my first coat (usable over even wood that won't be painted).  Then I had been thinking about using Model Color acrylics for the actual paint.  I created a test paint area and laid down the sealer and paints.  Where their was no sealer the paint was absorbed very quickly and faded out as expected.  The sealed areas still seemed moist 5 minutes later, but much more vibrant color.  I still will need a couple of coats (more if white / lighter colors) but that is to be expected with acrylics.
 

 
Finally I turned my eyes (and brain) skyward and have started the compressed instruction set of understanding all rigging.  With a subset of rigging (one mast) I need to start to understand what is and what is not present.  Secondly, what blocks are required and why.  Not an easy task.  The only thing to state is to keep at it and keep reviewing and things will start to fill in and make sense.
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

The berth deck height is correct, Mark.  My issue now is to decide whether to shorten the figures I have to bring them more into a 5' 6"  or less arena.  I can't just take a little from the torso, since their knuckles will drag on the floor - need to shorten the arms also.  This 'short cut' of getting base figures isn't getting so short anymore!
 
Maybe I will just put bandages around their heads to show where they keep bashing them against the beams!  Or to be safe, add scale yellow tape warning of the low overhead.....
 
Mark

I thought about it, then thought about some more, then gave myself more time to think about it.  I could think of no overriding reason that the base was still needed with it's current state and all the lines transferred that I could think of.
 
So......
 

 
Big day in the Krug household, the Druid-X is free.  I added the main mast to provide some sense of proportion.  This thing is going to be tall, that is for sure.
 
Next task is going to be the deck beams and then the mast step.  I am hopeful the completed decks will slide (easily) in and out.  That will help with fitting, gluing and access.
 
The vision is starting to take shape.
 
Keep Building my Friends,
Mark

More progress, The cobwebs are being cleaned out!
 
Next was the linings for the gunports.  With everything planked and painted I was not going for actual methods here (plus it follows the same method I used on the full hull model).  First issue was to reinforce the ribs where the cuts are to occur so I added spacers.  I wanted the resultant cut to result in a firm ledge for the base sill so I insured the correct angle with a piece of wood that went all the way through the hull.  Then the spacer material was slid in, marked then cut.
 

 
After gluing in top and bottom sill I again used the long piece of wood to verify it was laying flat.  You can see the port templates I made to continually check the resultant hole was consistent with the other ones and correct with regards to the plans.
 

 
The side sills were then measured and cut out in a similar manner.  Then once again a whole lot of gentle sanding to get the hull back into the correct profile.  The top of the second gun port is the railing so the rest of the rib (jig) was removed since it was no longer required.
 

 
These sills need to get painted red prior to planking the outside - which will be yellow.  Next up are the gun and forecastle deck clamps.
 
Mark

Excuse me while I get my sea legs again.....but with the start of fall my workshop has come alive again.
 
I wanted to start with something smaller, so opted for the mast top supports.  Nothing too huge or taxing but it did involve careful measuring and a couple of slots....
 

 
The whole mast will be primed and painted - the mast head black.  Doesn't look too shabby for something that will be almost totally hidden before everything is done!  It is still totally removable for work on the platform.
 

 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

On to the bibs.  One lesson learned I have taken to heart is when working with a complex mating surface (ie non straight) I do not cut the whole part to shape and hope for the best.  I always have to file a little here, scrape a little there with the result being the constructed piece is just a little 'off' on one face or another.  This is especially true for me for stems.
 
So, I focus on one edge at a time, starting with the mating edge required.  The target shape was cut out of the mast join and then (supposedly) transferred to the oversized piece and cut out:
 

 
Once the join was satisfactory I marked and cut out the top edge, insuring it totally aligned with the bib top on the mast.
 

 
Now the curving part is easy (compared to the rest).  The curves where drawn out, cut and sanded.  Before gluing I produced the other bib piece (marking the finished one with which side it belongs to FIRST).  Replicating the curve was much easier piece to piece off ship.  After all that work (maybe two hours in the workshop) I glued the bib pieces on.
 

 
Looking at the plans for  the two thousandth time afterwards I did realize the bibs were not only supposed to support the top beam but also slightly go into the topmast space.  Initially you wonder how the heck that happened.  I finally opted to laminate a 1/32" piece of basswood on the inside face for this issue.  The top will be painted (black) and it will be basically invisible (unless pointed out, which I try not to do).  So, reprieve and lesson learned for the next mast down the road.
 
Stay Building My Friends,
Mark

With a little time I jumped into the bibs and cheeks.  First up was to glue in the blanks for both:
 

 
So far so good.  There are a few small gaps but a little sanding and some glue will get rid of those.  Also, the mast will be painted so no worries.  
 
Now for shaping the blanks.  I wanted to protect the mast itself so I used some painters tape to provide a cover for the mast itself.  Most of the shaping was accomplished with a razor blade.
 

 
A relatively short time later I had both sides done:
 

 
For anyone new to making masts (such as I am) I would suggest practicing on basswood, even if that is not your final wood for your model.  Shapes, methods and results can be done to understand the process prior to your final try.
 
Thanks for stopping by,
Mark
P.S.  Finished the second Tri making all my target times.  Working towards the final one of the season on September 12.

That hesitation you have after having successfully created a proportional sized mast and then knowing the next step was to cut into the mast to make mating surfaces for the cheeks.....
 
After having cut the main mast into an octagonal shape I found scrapers much better for making the final shape round than sandpaper.  It was especially satisfying laying the constructed mast over the plans and seeing very close conformance to the specified dimensions.
 
So on to the cheeks.  I picked out the wood to use as the cheeks and then subtracted that width from the mast head base.  Then the bottom of the cheeks was picked out based on period photos (not annotated on plans) and a straight line drawn connecting the two.  Then a combination of the jig saw and a lot of sanding gave me a straight join area.
 

 
I will use two layers of wood to accomplish the bibs.  I just think that would be a lot better looking than taking a thicker piece of wood and shaving off most for the cheeks.
 
Slow but sure progress.  Another Sprint Tri in four days.....
 
Mark

Now where was I?  It seems a common question this time of year.  First off, a pic of my primary hobby the last couple of months, finishing a local sprint triathlon (my sixth).  Not even close to a podium finish but I enjoy them.
 

 
So on to the main mast.  The Druid plans I have show a max width approaching 1/2" so a wood blank was first cut to this dimension:
 

 
I then transferred the dimensions at the identified portions of the mast and planed, chiseled, and sanded to the correct profile:
 

 
next up was to make the appropriate portions of the mast octagonal and for this a jig was required.  I ended up making a small and large one at the same time for future spar work.  I put a stop block on the bottom for solid footing against the edge of the bench.
 

 
I dialed in the correct proportions on each face to render an equal octagonal face and hope it works out.  It didn't take too long to construct so if the first one has issues I will easily use it as a learning exercise and construct another better one.  No worries.
 
So tonight the mast sits in the jig ready for taking off some wood.  I intend to leave the tenon and the cap area square to allow laying flat if required.  I added an extra area near the 45 degree slot for this flat work.  
 

 
However, my next race is a week from Saturday so tomorrow AM I need to do some running.....
 
Mark

With the hull structure totally accessible adding the berth and gun deck beams was straight forward:
 

 
This caused one of those, ummmm moments.  You can see my 1/48 scale figure posed on the orlop deck - all 6 ft of him.  Looking at it from a different angle:
 

 
You can see the guy would have to almost crawl to get around down there.  My guess is 6 ft wasn't the optimum height for sailors.  Do I need to modify the figures for height??  Luckily the only thing that will be going on in the orlop will be 2 people in their hammocks grabbing some shut eye so I can skirt the issue.  But I need to think about even those on the main deck (and above).  Would 6 foot tall crewman appear correct with the rest of the scene?  On a side note I am working on having the beams/decks as assembled being removable as a unit until I choose to affix them permanently.  Much easier to work the details and paint this way.
 
For painting I visited a local wood specialty shop and was steered towards General Finishes water based sanding sealer for my first coat (usable over even wood that won't be painted).  Then I had been thinking about using Model Color acrylics for the actual paint.  I created a test paint area and laid down the sealer and paints.  Where their was no sealer the paint was absorbed very quickly and faded out as expected.  The sealed areas still seemed moist 5 minutes later, but much more vibrant color.  I still will need a couple of coats (more if white / lighter colors) but that is to be expected with acrylics.
 

 
Finally I turned my eyes (and brain) skyward and have started the compressed instruction set of understanding all rigging.  With a subset of rigging (one mast) I need to start to understand what is and what is not present.  Secondly, what blocks are required and why.  Not an easy task.  The only thing to state is to keep at it and keep reviewing and things will start to fill in and make sense.
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

I ran into that also, Mark.  Seems "scale" figures mean different things to different manufacturers.  So if he's a scale 6' then in reality it's 1-1/2" (38mm) high?   I'm wondering if there's 32mm high figures?  That would get him to 5' even.   I found 4 old AL figures for the Constellation, a 1:85 or so model but the figures worked out almost exactly for 1:64.  You might have to go the Hahn route and carve your own.... 

The berth deck height is correct, Mark.  My issue now is to decide whether to shorten the figures I have to bring them more into a 5' 6"  or less arena.  I can't just take a little from the torso, since their knuckles will drag on the floor - need to shorten the arms also.  This 'short cut' of getting base figures isn't getting so short anymore!
 
Maybe I will just put bandages around their heads to show where they keep bashing them against the beams!  Or to be safe, add scale yellow tape warning of the low overhead.....
 
Mark

Mark,
 
I think 6 foot was/is a bit tall for the period.  Nelson was 5'8" or so as I recall and tall for the era.  Even so, if the height from beam to beam matches the plans than it's probably correct.  Some of the deck spaces were pretty cramped.  I go down below the gun deck on "Licorne" and some of those spaces are only 2-3 feet high.

I thought about it, then thought about some more, then gave myself more time to think about it.  I could think of no overriding reason that the base was still needed with it's current state and all the lines transferred that I could think of.
 
So......
 

 
Big day in the Krug household, the Druid-X is free.  I added the main mast to provide some sense of proportion.  This thing is going to be tall, that is for sure.
 
Next task is going to be the deck beams and then the mast step.  I am hopeful the completed decks will slide (easily) in and out.  That will help with fitting, gluing and access.
 
The vision is starting to take shape.
 
Keep Building my Friends,
Mark

Looking good, Mark.  Keep the vision going... you're getting there.

I thought about it, then thought about some more, then gave myself more time to think about it.  I could think of no overriding reason that the base was still needed with it's current state and all the lines transferred that I could think of.
 
So......
 

 
Big day in the Krug household, the Druid-X is free.  I added the main mast to provide some sense of proportion.  This thing is going to be tall, that is for sure.
 
Next task is going to be the deck beams and then the mast step.  I am hopeful the completed decks will slide (easily) in and out.  That will help with fitting, gluing and access.
 
The vision is starting to take shape.
 
Keep Building my Friends,
Mark

I thought about it, then thought about some more, then gave myself more time to think about it.  I could think of no overriding reason that the base was still needed with it's current state and all the lines transferred that I could think of.
 
So......
 

 
Big day in the Krug household, the Druid-X is free.  I added the main mast to provide some sense of proportion.  This thing is going to be tall, that is for sure.
 
Next task is going to be the deck beams and then the mast step.  I am hopeful the completed decks will slide (easily) in and out.  That will help with fitting, gluing and access.
 
The vision is starting to take shape.
 
Keep Building my Friends,
Mark